History

Medieval and Islamic History

3,351 Questions

Medieval and Islamic history focuses on the political, cultural, and administrative developments during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire. Key topics include military campaigns, administrative reforms, court artisans, and architectural marvels like the Red Fort. This is a highly scoring subject for SSC and civil services preliminary exams.

Delhi Sultanate rulersMughal empire emperorsAdministrative and judicial reformsHistorical monuments constructionMedieval court art and culture

Medieval and Islamic History Questions

Multiple choice

Ashok's pillars were brought from Ambala to Delhi by

  1. Muhammad bin Tughlaq

  2. Feroz Shah Tughlaq

  3. Ala Ud Khalji

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Feroz Shah Tughlaq was responsible for transporting two Ashokan pillars from Topra (Ambala) and Meerut to Delhi. He re-erected them in his capital city.

Multiple choice

The sultan, who refused to recognise the authority of the Caliph was

  1. Alauddin Khalji

  2. Ghiyasuddin Tughluq

  3. Muhammad bin Tughluq

  4. Qutbuddin Mubarak
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Alauddin Khalji was known for his independent stance and for asserting that he did not need the Caliph's recognition to legitimize his rule, unlike many other Sultans of the Delhi Sultanate.

Multiple choice

Match the following:

 
List I (Mughal Emperors) List II (Nicknames/Original Names)
I. Jahangir 1. Alamgir
II. Shah Jahan 2. Shekhu Baba
III. Aurangzeb 3. Muazzam
IV. Bahadur Shah 4. Khurram

Select your answer from the choices given below:

  1. I -1, II - 2, III - 3, IV - 4

  2. I - 2, II - 4, III - 1, IV - 3

  3. I - 3, II - 1, III - 4, IV - 2

  4. I - 4, II - 3, III - 2, IV - 1
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Jahangir's childhood name was Shekhu Baba (2). Shah Jahan was originally Prince Khurram (4). Aurangzeb took the title Alamgir (1). Bahadur Shah I was originally known as Muazzam (3). Matching these gives I-2, II-4, III-1, IV-3.

Multiple choice

Akbar promulgated Din-i-llahi in 1581. It was

  1. a code of conduct

  2. an Islamic doctrine

  3. a Hindu law influenced by Islam

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Din-i-Ilahi was a syncretic religious movement proposed by Akbar, intended to serve as a code of conduct that promoted unity and tolerance among his diverse subjects. It was not a formal religion or a strict Islamic doctrine.

Multiple choice

The tabla is believed to have been invented by

  1. Amir Khusrau

  2. Zain-ul-Abidin

  3. Malik Muhammad Jaisi

  4. Bahman Shah
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tradition attributes the invention of the tabla to the 13th-century poet and musician Amir Khusrau, who is said to have split the pakhawaj into two pieces.

Multiple choice

The first muslim to invade India was

  1. Muhammad Ghuri

  2. Mahmud of Ghazni

  3. Muhammad Bin Qasim

  4. Chengiz Khan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Muhammad Bin Qasim led the Umayyad Caliphate's conquest of Sindh in 712 AD, making him the first Muslim commander to successfully invade parts of India.

Multiple choice

The famous peacock throne originally belonged to

  1. Humayun

  2. Shah Jahan

  3. Akbar

  4. Nadir Shah
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taus) was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the early 17th century. It was later taken by Nadir Shah during his invasion of India.

Multiple choice

The Shalimar garden at Srinagar was developed by

  1. Aurangzeb

  2. Shah Jahan

  3. Akbar

  4. Jahangir
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar was built by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan in 1619. It is a classic example of Mughal garden architecture.

Multiple choice

Where was the bilingual edict of Asoka found?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

Asoka's edicts are to be found scattered in more than 30 places throughout India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Most of them are written in Brahmi script from which all Indian scripts and many of those used in Southeast Asia later developed. The language used in the edicts found in the eastern part of the sub-continent is a type of Magadhi, probably the official language of Asoka's court. The language used in the edicts found in the western part of India is closer to Sanskrit although one bilingual edict in Afghanistan is written in Aramaic and Greek. Asoka's edicts, which comprise the earliest decipherable corpus of written documents from India, have survived throughout the centuries because they are written on rocks and stone pillars. These pillars in particular are testimony to the technological and artistic genius of ancient Indian civilisation. Originally, there must have been many of them, although only 10 with inscriptions still survive. Averaging between  40 and 50 feet in height, and weighing up to 50 tonnes each, all the pillars were quarried at Chunar, just south of Varanasi and dragged, sometimes hundreds of miles, to where they were erected. Each pillar was originally capped by a capital, sometimes a roaring lion, a noble bull or a spirited horse, and the few capitals that survive are widely recognised as masterpieces of Indian art. Both the pillars and the capitals exhibit a remarkable mirror-like polish that has survived despite centuries of exposure to the elements.

  1. India

  2. Pakistan

  3. Nepal

  4. Afghanistan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The fourth sentence of the passage answers this. ‘The one bilingual edict in Afghanistan is written in Aramaic and Greek.’

Multiple choice

Which Mughal emperor undertook the construction of the Grand Trunk road?

  1. Akbar

  2. Jehangir

  3. Sher Shah Suri

  4. Shahjehan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Sher Shah Suri constructed the Grand Trunk Road in the 16th century, connecting Sonargaon in Bengal to Peshawar. While the question mentions Mughal emperor, Sher Shah was actually the Sur dynasty ruler who briefly interrupted Mughal rule before Akbar and the later Mughals expanded the road.

Multiple choice

______ was the first caliph.

  1. Vassal

  2. Turks

  3. Umar

  4. Aboobaker
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Abu Bakr was the first caliph to succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death in 632 AD.